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By the time you’re reading this, I’m either in a perpetual state of bummed because the Seahawks just lost, or I’ll still be insanely pumped on their crushing win over the Broncos. I’d be vastly underestimating the atmosphere in Seattle right now if I said it wasn’t a big deal, and an infectious one at that. That’s all I’ll say about sports.

On to comic talk…. I’ve got nothing. These are comics and you should buy them.
(Honorable mention books that I talk about them all the time but want to remind you that they have new issues: Judge Dredd: Mega City #2, Catalyst Comix #8, Archer and Armstrong #0.1)

Alone Forever by Liz Prince
Just in time for Valentine’s day, Liz Prince has collected a book of her popular online series that brings you joy, laughter, sadness, and other emotions. Okay, I sound less than enthused, but that’s only because I can so scarily relate to the perils of modern romance in the OkCupid age. Prince draws characters that are fun, funny, and engaging; who are more about figuring themselves out in a comedic, self-deprecating way, than figuring out how to “catch the cute boy”. Online romance, punk jams, bearded alternative boys. Yep, sounds like my life.

Ant Colony by Michael DeForge
You’re an idiot if you’re not reading DeForge yet. I hate to be that honest but it’s true. [not really -ed.] He’s been putting out stuff with various magazines like Study Group, and The Believer, online, and independent publishing. His first collected book came out last year in Very Casual, and it’s very good. Scholars like to freak out over him, pegging him as everything from the next Clowes, to Burns, to Ware, but really…he’s just the next DeForge. Oh yeah, his Drawn and Quarterly debut is about the impending war between the black ants and the red ants of a singular ant colony; a microcosm of the destruction of civilization, but an exploration of the human condition, handled with humor, sensitivity, and insight that is rare in any medium but the best. And this is the best. I want to be reading it right now (and then sleeping with it under my pillow so I can osmosis all the feels you’ll feel when reading this).

Sucker Bait and Other Stories by Graham Ingels
The first story from this new EC collected book by Fantagraphics is about a guy who keeps lying to his girlfriend of 15 years about going fishing every weekend, and why he wont marry her. Some fun stuff in the middle happens and she ends up mounting him on the wall like one of his trophy fish he kept bringing her. Awesome. I love the absurdity of a woman stuffing and mounting a grown man on the wall. It’s not even possible, but it’s amazing to imagine. Ingels is the master of horror; his zombies have influenced the like of Romero and other goulish artists for generations to come. The stories are classic, and what a lot of pop culture jokes are based off of. So if you want to actually get people’s references instead of just laughing along in confusion, pick up all the EC books that you can! (Zero Hour is another one that’s out this week for all you Sci Fi nerds (me)).

Ms. Marvel #1 by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona
I don’t want to boil this comic down to the first topic of conversation that’s brought up when discussing this comic, but it’s hard to do when Marvel reintroduces Ms. Marvel with a Pakistani-American, Muslim, female character. On the outset, reactionary folks might be critical to the simple fact that Marvel is trying to cram as many underrepresented groups into a comic as possible, but that’s how shit gets started. Anyone should be able to feel like they can be a superhero (if they’re born with/have powers bestowed upon them) no matter who you are. A lot of the early issue will be the basics of an origin story; who is Kamala Kahn? There’s a lot of reasons to pick this book up: curiosity, amazing art, a classic character. The bottom line is, for the sake of expanding the superhero genre, buy this book. (And for the sake of the Internet, please refrain from flaming the book for reasons other than its artistic and storytelling merit).

My cat would like to say a few words, “dkjleraiuhvcjbk.” I think that translates into “You should be at SPX this week”. Man, my cat is so smart. I couldn’t go because, among other things, I had to write this article, which is the most important thing to me in the world. But if you were lucky enough to head to Maryland this weekend, you would have seen some amazing artists and exhibitors in the small press world, including: Peter Bagge (Hate), Reina Telgemeier (Drama), Gary Panter (Dal Tokyo), and Congressman John Lewis (?!) who was there to discuss his autobiographical release of March, illustrated by Nate Powell.

In addition to mingling with some top-notch artists and writers, SPX also hosts the annual Ignatz Awards for outstanding achievements in the small publication world. In addition to my suggested singles, be sure to pick up some of the nominations and winners from this year! (And if Forbidden Planet doesn’t have them in stock, badger Jeff until they do):

This is the most recent number one issue of a continuing trend of titles that like to imagine superheroes as maybe a little less than super. Sure, your classic characters have also dealt with some personal dramas like girl problems, being too good looking, and having too much money. But in “Buzzkill”, our main hero is dealing with alcoholism. Though Ruben derives his superhero powers from imbibing large quantities of booze, his home life sees similar ramifications as a non-super might when struggling with addiction. Ruben has decided to give up the drink in order to salvage his personal life; but at what cost to the city he’s leaving behind? This everyday-man hero is out on Dark Horse, who’s putting out more (welcomed) original titles every year.

If you didn’t read Five Ghosts by Frank Barbiere in single-issue form, you’re an idiot. But I’ll forgive you once you buy the TP that’s out this week. This ass-kicking pulp adventure comic follows treasure hunter Fabian Gray across the world seeking mysterious artifacts, all while he struggles with the possession of his body by five ghosts from the literary world. The inky, and dark art by Chris Mooneyham sets a mood better than any first date I’ve been on, and Barbiere writes with so much energy, you can’t help but feel your heart pound right along with Fabian’s. I think I’m saying if this comic was a dude, I’d date this comic. These issues have been sold-out and reprinted more times than I can remember, and now is the time to start reading if you haven’t because this is going to become an on-going series, picking back up with the 6th issue that’s set to be released at the end of October. Seriously, don’t wait any longer to read this.

Long-time IDW artist, Stephen Mooney, is finally drawing the comic he’s always wanted to see on shelves: dinosaurs, dames, and danger. Amidst WWII, Sergeant Tommy Flynn experiences a threat long thought dead, and enlists a supporting cast that’s both intelligent and sexy. The pulp and cheesecake factor of this book makes it fun and easy to pick up, but the successful art and actually intelligent dialogue make it easy to keep reading. Mooney makes witty banter that isn’t seen in many modern comic books, but mixes it with old-school adventure that is inspired by comics like Tintin, Asterix, and Terry and the Pirates, but all grown up.

World, meet Ales Kot; Ales Kot, meet the world. It’s understandable if you haven’t been very aware of him up until this point, but you have no more excuses left. He did a successful stint on Suicide Squad, wrote the acclaimed series Wild Children and Change, and just announced that he’ll be working with Nick Spencer on Secret Avengers starting this December. So it should be no surprise that his latest Image series, Zero, has everyone all a twitter. The title character, Edward Zero, is a relentless spy who stops at nothing to get a job done. Ales dips his hand into the war genre when Zero’s newest job has him retrieving a device that is now at the center of a military conflict. When the device turns out to be a living, bio-modified terrorist, Zero gets his hands full of military action. Keeping the series fresh, every issue features a different story line, with a different artist every time. Each issue can be read as a standalone, with an overarching story spanning 20 years. Having a new artist on every issue smartly allows the artwork to shine through, as each artist selected for a story line that brings out their best qualities. Expect future work on this title from Michael Walsh, Mateus Santolouco, Morgan Jeske, and Tradd Moore.

Snarly, spit-filled, and yes, savage. Wolverine under the careful pencil of Joe Mad is insatiable. I’d hate to use the cliché action-packed, but that’s exactly what this latest arc with Madureira and Wells feels like. Wolverine and Elektra finally square off with the Kingpin and let themselves lose on a bunch of ninjas, and a bunch of people are likely to get stabbed in the process. You should be getting yourselves warmed up on Joe Mad’s art as he prepares to take on the Inhuman series with Matt Fraction that’s set to be released at the end of the year in what will be Marvel’s second big tie-in/crossover event of the year. “Too much Marvel?” you ask? “Nay”, say I.